


Under Oath

by eric_idle_rules, The_Concierge_Of_Crime



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:35:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27996141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eric_idle_rules/pseuds/eric_idle_rules, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Concierge_Of_Crime/pseuds/The_Concierge_Of_Crime
Summary: Ted is 47 and the President of the United States.  Cody is a student at George Washington University in DC who applies for an internship program at the White House.  His best friend is lawyer Randy Orton.  John Cena is one of the president's most trusted security guards.
Relationships: John Cena/Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Rhodes
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written with another friend of ours about 10 years ago now. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Was it a lot of fun to write? Yes. Enjoy!

God, had he ever been more nervous for anything in his entire life? Honestly, 22-year-old Cody Garrett Runnels didn't think that he had. Long-lashed cobalt eyes closed as he took a deep, silent breath to try and calm his thundering heart, a clammy hand nervously mussing with his gel-styled raven-coloured hair. There were three more interns before him, and a good four had already gone... Gone for what, you ask?

Their "meet-and-greet" photo-opportunity with the President: Theodore Marvin DiBiase, Jr. 

Theodore, or 'Ted' as he insisted the people refer to him as (and how cool and down to earth was that?) was perfect. Cody had been a supporter of the man even before he had reached office, because he was the most genuine politician that he had seen in his young life. Ted had done really well so far with the policies that had won him the election a good few months ago-- and Cody was one of the lucky few who had been chosen for the intern programme.

As he drew closer and closer to the Oval Office where the President was, Cody felt his throat closing up in nerves. Reaching into his pocket subtly, Cody absently fingered the soft, worn fabric that he carried with him everywhere; a small handkerchief with faded gold embroidery that he had had since he had been merely a young child. For some reason the small bit of fabric had always filled him with a sense of comfort and calm and it worked this time too--

And not a moment too soon, because suddenly he found himself looking at Ted DiBiase's smiling face.

Though the handkerchief had brought him some comfort, his nerves increased ten-fold as he looked into the President’s deep blue eyes, heart pounding in his chest. Ted’s hand was out for him to shake, and Cody grasped it firmly. “Congratulations on making it into the intern program,” Ted told him, just as he told everyone else before him. “It’s very nice to meet you…” 

“Cody, Sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Cody.”

“Turn towards me,” the camera man told them. Their hands remained clasped as their bodies turned to face the camera. 

Once the picture was snapped, Cody went to stand with the other interns as the final few had their picture opportunity. As he stood around, his heart rate slowed down some more. Hand once again in pocket, he let his fingers run over the stitching, taking a calming breath. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself that it would soon be no big deal to speak with the President. It would be a commonplace, daily occurrence soon enough. 

“I’d just like to tell you all once again,” Ted began as soon as all the pictures were finished and all the interns were standing together in a group, “how proud I am of all of you for your hard work and dedication. We’ve only chosen the pick of the litter for this program, and it is our pleasure to have you here, as you are the future of this county. And with minds like yours, I know it’ll be a bright future, indeed.”

While the President spoke, the interns remained poised and quiet, simply nodding along at the right times, chuckling at the humorous bits the man offered, each one humbly appreciative of the opportunity they'd been given.

Cody's mind wandered, zoning out unintentionally, trying to grasp the fact of his whereabouts at the moment. Standing in the White House, in the same room as the fucking President. His boss. His _direct_ boss was actually the dude who ran the entire United States. Mindblowing.

"And I want each one of you to know that you don't have to be afraid to come talk to me..." While Ted spoke, Cody's eyes roamed the room, the luxurious couches, golden lamps, everything shined and dust free, bookshelves lined from top to bottom, a portrait of a.... 

Was that a dog?

Cody craned his neck to the side, squinting his eyes some, not at all aware of the other pair that were on _him_ "I see you've noticed Riggs, haven't you?" Cody's neck snapped back around instantly, sensing he was being spoken to.

"That's my puppy," the President smiled, nodding thoughtfully, thumb jabbing at the picture Cody had previously been staring at. "My bestfriend in the world..." 

Was it wrong of him to think there was something adorable about the way the President valued his pet so much that he had a portrait of him? Well, if it was wrong then he was completely fine with it-- because _adorable_ was the only damned word that fit in his mind.

Also, he was glad that Ted hadn't taken it badly that he hadn't been paying direct attention to what the man had been saying; he wasn't deliberately not paying attention, he was just somewhat over-awed at the moment by the fact that he was stood in a place that everyone regarded with an almost surreal admiration and the utmost regard.

After a little bit more of a chat with them all (telling them to not be scared of approaching people with concerns or questions, or if they made a few mistakes in the first few days-- they were the elite but this was still a learning experience for them) Ted then dismissed them all. Without even really thinking on it, Cody found himself lingering so that he could be the last one to leave the room. As he did so, Ted smiled at him warmly-- he had a beautiful smile.

"So, do you like animals?"  
Cody gave the older man a sheepish look, "Yeah, I do. Sorry about that it just--" he waved a hand around the room, unsure how to explain per se, "It just stuck out to me amongst everything else in here." Ted nodded, seemingly quite happy about something, and something told Cody that the man wasn't just proud that someone had noticed his pet. "Seems like you have a keen eye and are observant Cody-- very good traits to possess."  
"Thank you sir."

Giving the President another smile, Cody then turned and hastened out of the office as casually as possible. It wouldn't do to make it look like he was trying to ass-kiss the President to out-shine the other interns; that would do him no favours, and there was bound to be someone bitchy enough to think such a thing. 

Surely enough… “Oh, that’s just my best friend in the world. Thank you Cooody for noticing,” one of the interns was saying to another as he finally walked out of the office. 

Cody raised an eyebrow at the pair that were so blatantly talking about him. “It’s not like I knew he was going to say anything to me…”

“Right. How is it he commends you for not listening to what he was saying?” she asked, hands on her hips. 

“Just because I wasn’t looking at him doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening. Look, obviously we started out on the wrong foot. Honest to God, I—”

“And then you further grab his attention by staying once we all leave?”

Wow, what was this chick’s problem? “He asked me a question, ok? That’s it. I’m trying to be nice here, I don’t want to start anything. Like I said, we started out on the wrong foot. Can we just clean the slate?”

“Will you take your job here seriously? I worked extremely hard to get here, I’m one of only two females amongst eight men, and I will not have someone like you take away all that I’ve worked so hard for.”

“I’m not trying to take anything away from you! If me looking at a picture of a dog hanging on the President’s wall offended you in any way, I am truly sorry. Ok? Are we good now?”

She pursed her lips and nodded before turning her attention back to the other female intern, probably to gossip about someone else.

The day went by surprisingly fast. They were given name tags, their own desks, even gold-plated pens with their names engraved next to a tiny American flag. Geez, they really spared no expense around here...  
They were shown around a little bit more, everyone clearly impressed, if not a little intimidated, with all the security milling about, looking very serious and some a little more Rambo than others. 

Once they were all well situated, knew where to go for what, understood their basic tasks for the workday and assigned special duties that only they would see through, they began their internship with determination.

Sitting at his desk, Cody eyed the people in the room with him. There was Carol in the corner, George, Phillip, Paul, Jeannine, the other girl amongst them, Chad, Jeremy... All professional, all clean cut and pristine. And all eying him disapprovingly. 

Shrinking back in his seat, he popped open his laptop, wanting to avoid their gazes at all costs. It wasn't his fucking fault that when the Secretary handed out their packets and informed them of their roles in the office, that he'd get the winning lottery ticket and be assigned as the President's personal intern, with the desk closest to the Oval Office. _Shit shit shit_. As soon as the words hit the air, Cody could feel all eyes on him and about a thousand invisible blades being shoved into every vital organ he possessed. 

And when the Secretary came by his desk later on to personally inform him further on his specific duties, he was horrified at the loud whisper of "Theodore requested you by name, young man. Feel honored for two minutes, but spend all the time after that earning your spot. Do what is asked of you and you'll go far." He knew everyone in that room heard the hushed words, every single one of them.

Well then.

There was nothing else he could do but accept it graciously and meet all of the requirements head on. Which is exactly what he did. Day after day. He got up in the morning, showered, brushed his teeth, tweezed any stray brow hairs, suited up, grabbed a cup of joe at Starbucks and a Sugar-Free Red Bull for the President and set off to work. Clockwork.

Life as the President's personal bitch was hard. But it was good. Real good.

Every day at the White House there was always something different going on. Cody would see the President walk by every now and again, greeting him, "Good morning (or afternoon), Mr. President," earning him a smile, a nod and a greeting back.

He was so curious what he was doing, always wanting to stop him and talk to him, ask who he was meeting with that day. But he never did, he didn't want to disrupt the normal work order. 

So he went back to his files as he usually did.

One day, after much of the same, he was told to pass along the message to the President that the US ambassador to China was here to visit and discuss his next long term stay at the embassy. Cody stood from his desk and began walking down the hallway towards the Oval Office. 

He knocked before peeking his head through the open door, smiling when the President looked up from his desk, smiling and waving him forward. "How can I help you, Cody?" 

"I was told to let you know that the Chinese ambassador will be here soon to see you, Sir." 

"Enough with this Sir and Mr. President, ok? At least if we're alone, please, call me Ted."

The red flush that dusted over Cody's high cheekbones made Ted smile somewhat at the adorable image, and also flush a little at the strange flip-flopping sensation said image made happen in his stomach. 

"Ok S-- Ted." he corrected himself, "If that's what you want." Cody smiled, moving to Ted's desk to hand over the papers that he had in hand that he had been asked to pass on. "Is there anything you need me to sort out for you whilst I'm here, Ted?" 

Ted had never thought his name was especially sexy or anything before, but he was having the hardest time not reacting whenever Cody said it. So confused was he by his own thoughts, that he momentarily didn't answer. 

Before Cody could get concerned though, Ted hastily then nodded and held out a manila envelope that was sealed up and tied with a red string secure tag, and carried the President's stamp. "If you wouldn't mind having this posted off for me, that would really help." 

Accepting the folder, Cody nodded, "Of course sir." Giving a polite incline of his head, Cody then turned and left the office-- just as the visitor he had told Ted of walked in.

Well, that had been an unexpected surprise. Ted, Cody repeated in his head. A small smile crept up his face at that. Ted. "What are you so happy about?" Carol asked from her desk.

"Just... happy to be here," he answered. "Maybe you should try smiling some more yourself," he told her before walking off to his own desk. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked from across the room. 

He shrugged, "At least pretend like you want to be here. Plus, a smile on your face would make those green eyes of yours even prettier." She couldn't help but smile (and blush) at that, what a nice compliment from such a handsome man. "See, what did I tell ya?"

Having headed off the potential temper-tantrum of his fellow intern, Cody exhaled softly in relief to himself as he sank down into his chair. There wasn't too long left in their working day, and Cody found himself oddly reluctant at the prospect of going home. 

Sure, he had lots of friends and a pretty active social life, but he had no one to go home to on a night. It got lonely, but Cody supposed it was his own fault; he had never found someone who he clicked with on such a level enough to try and make something with them. 

Unbidden, an image of Ted's face appeared in his mind's eye and he shook himself quickly. Knowing his luck the damned secret service would be able to tap his thoughts or something... He'd have to ask John Cena, head of security, whether they could do anything like that sometime.

When he exited work that evening, Cody sighed softly to himself as he considered the prospect of another lonely night at home. Running a hand through his dark hair, Cody pulled his Blackberry out his pocket and checked it-- he had three messages and two missed calls. The missed calls were from his mother and father -not unusual- and the messages were from his Lawyer friend, Randy Orton -also not unusual.

Grinning softly to himself and chuckling at the lewd and joking innuendos contained within his childhood friend's messages, Cody then tapped a message to his friend that read along the lines of, "Call me back, bitch." as he passed Ted's office. Subconsciously he slowed, wanting to get a final look at Ted. It was becoming a compulsion whenever he was just passing by the man's room and Cody wondered why he was so desperate just to see him...

If the other interns found out then they would just start on him even more than they did; he hadn't thought he would face such juvenile jealousy and resentment from people of post-teen age, but he had. Some (not all, admittedly, a few of the interns were pretty alright with him) were treating him like a kid who had cooties whenever he was around-- it was pretty damned disheartening, and had he not tried so _fucking_ hard to get his spot on the programme then he would probably have given up by now. However, Cody Runnels had never been a quitter and he sure as hell wasn't going to start now!

Inside the office, he saw Ted leaning on the edge of the desk, talking and laughing to the Head of Security, John Cena. John was a pretty nice guy, if tough and firm, and Cody had chatted to him a few times on his breaks. John had a cute dimpled grin, Cody thought, but it was nothing compared to Ted's smallest smile. Realizing that he was really in an open spot and could get noticed, Cody then shook himself and headed out of office and to the car-park. Clearing himself through the necessary check-points with security, Cody settled into his car.

Just as he was driving onto the main road, his Blackberry went off. Pressing a few buttons and grabbing his hands-free, Cody then answered the phone, "Runnels."  
"Ooh, don't we sound professional-- I'm callin' ya back bitch, how was work?"  
The familiar baritone drawl brought a smile to Cody's lips, "Hey ho, fancy grabbing dinner together and I'll tell you?"  
Exhaling a sigh as though it was a supreme effort for him to even consider doing so, Randy then responded, "Sure thing man, I'll meet you at your place at 7, Ok?"

"Sorted. See you later man." Cody ended the call and then continued driving. Unbeknownst to him though, Cody had been seen by Ted in the office, and an amused John had called him on it, "I've never seen you so keen on interns before, Teddy." Ted chuckled sheepishly and shrugged, "The kid's a good worker John, and I'd like to see someone so deserving succeed." John nodded, baby-blues watching as Ted pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket, the gold embroidered 'TD' glinting slightly. 

Back at Cody’s house, he hopped into the shower, scrubbing himself down to get ready for dinner. Cody, of course, being Cody, wanted to look good even though he was just having dinner with a friend and not many people would make too much of an effort for a casual occasion-- however, compared to Randy, Cody always felt somewhat inadequate in the looks department and he felt he needed to make that extra effort. Despite himself, Cody couldn't help thinking that Ted would find Randy more attractive should he see him; but then he chastised himself that Ted was married and obviously had no interest in men. There was a little voice in the back of his mind though that he couldn’t ignore that slyly attested that Cody would want him to be. 

He shook his head, after taking a towel to it to dry it off, and tried to get those thoughts out of his mind. He headed out into his bedroom, finding some jeans and a nice deep purple shirt and applying some fresh gel to his hair. He sprayed on some of his new cologne and he was set to go. Randy, of course, was 'fashionably late', but not by too much for once. The two handsome young men then went to Randy's car, and drove to a restaurant they frequented.

"Just the two of you today?" the host asked as the pair entered Clyde's, the quintessential after work business casual restaurant. 

"Yeah," Cody told him, nodding his head as he spoke. 

"Right this way." They followed, sitting across from one another as they were seated by the window. "Amy will be right with you," the host said, leaving them each with a menu. 

"Thank you," the pair said in unison. They picked up their menus, and almost as soon as their eyes glanced down at the writing on the pages, a woman was at their table. Good thing they came here often. "Hello, I'm Amy and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" 

"Yes," Randy started, "I'll have a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon," he told her, planning on having a nice, juicy steak for dinner. 

"And for you?" she asked, turning to Cody. "I'll just have-" 

"Cody, live a little," Randy cut in before his younger friend ordered a Coke. 

"Ok, I'll have the... Viognier," he said, looking at the recommended wine for the chicken he was planning on ordering. After she looked at their IDs, she was off to get their drinks. 

"So, tell me, Cody, what’s it like workin’ for the big man? He a real hard ass, who wants things done his way?" 

"Actually, he's a really nice guy. I mean, ok, yeah, he wants us to get shit done, but that's because shit _has_ to get done. Otherwise, he's really not that bad to work for." 

"That's good, considering you paid him to work for him." 

"It's for the experience, Randy. What the hell else am I supposed to do with a degree in political science besides become a politician? Or a teacher, which is the last thing on my list." 

"Maaaaybe," Randy began, and Cody could see what he was going to say before he even said it, "you should have gone with a different major then." 

"Oh, like you? Become a lawyer? No way."

"Least the only ass I have to kiss is the client's, not America's royalty," Randy quipped, fingering the corner of his napkin, thoughtfully. "Unless you like that sort of thing. Which knowing you, that's a foreseeable yes."

"Piss off," Cody muttered, a small chuckle escaping. He glanced around, taking in the people around him lost in their own conversations, his mind unable to stop from unconsciously wondering what President DiBiase was doing at that very moment.

"How big are his feet?"

Popping his head back around to face Randy, he regarded him with a raised brow. "Huh?"

"Shoes. What size? A general estimate.."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Oh come on," Randy rolled his eyes, clearly seeing something Cody wasn't. "You don't have to act like little miss prim and proper around me, ya know. You can freely talk about how you prefer monster cocks to average sized ones. I mean, I don't mind.."

"Randy!" Cody threw him a look, appalled with his friend being so loud. "Shut _up_ ," he hissed. Had it been a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have minded. But now, in his position, being placed so delicately close to the top dog, there were certain things that just couldn't be discussed at such volumes. In public.

"What?? It's true! Oh please, as if you haven't looked..."

"I haven't," Cody offered dryly, taking a gulp, knowing he didn't sound very convincing even to his own ears.

"So you mean to tell me, that you have not the slightest clue as to--"

"Size fourteen would be my guess," he sighed.

"I knew it!! Uncle Randy knows all," he gloated, before piping down when he noticed their server coming back around. 

"Uncle Randy my ass," Cody huffed, a smirk escaping much to his dismay.

As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Randy placed both palms on the table, lowering his head some. "Big shoes, huh? Means he has big feet, probably big hands.." he smiled evilly at Cody's quick nod of agreement. "And no doubtedly an even bigger..."

"Cock."

"Vehicle. I was going to say vehicle," he laughed as Cody shot him a knowing look. "But since we're on the topic, yeah. Maybe he even has one of those, too. Although nowhere near the size of mine, as I'm sure you've already told yourself."

"Pftt. I'm willing to bet he's a good two inches more than you, bud."

"Ha! In your dreams Codes, only in your fucking dreams. I seem to recall the way you used to beg me to go slow 'cause you couldn't handle all of me at once. 'Randy, waiiiittt, it stingsss...'," he mocked. "Unless you've forgotten..." 

Cody went red in the cheeks and threw his napkin at Randy, "Hey, fucker, it was my first time!" Randy looked smug, just in the sense that he had been the one to guide Cody through the all important life-lessons, "--And, c'mon, you weren't exactly going slow."  
"Codes, an ass as tight as yours just begs for a proper seeing to--"  
"I knew I was the best ass you'd ever had."  
"Well... Top ten." Randy mock-considered and Cody rolled his eyes with exasperated fondness. Randy was a bit of a man-whore, but Cody knew that it was just because he hadn't found the one he wanted to be with.

"Oh, hey!" Randy said as though something had occurred to him, "You're not going to use the sexual knowledge Uncle Randal taught you on the Prez-man are you?" Cody almost choked on the bit of steak he had just eaten, glowering at Randy as he thumped himself in the chest as subtly as possible until he calmed himself down, "Randy, if I have to tell you to _shut the fuck up_ one more time--"  
"Alright, alright Princess, calm down."  
"Bite me."  
"With pleasure."

Banter was a common feature in their conversations, and Cody was so glad that he and Randy had such a close camaraderie; a lot of people might have a problem with jokes like that (especially 'straight' guys when they found out that he was 'queer') and so he was pleased to have someone with the same sense of humour who he could joke and muck about with. "And no, Your Horniness, I am _not_ going to attempt to seduce my boss-- I don't like him like that." Randy gave him 'The Look' and Cody knew that he wasn't fooling anyone. Hell, he was hardly fooling himself. He felt something for the President; had since the first time he had lain eyes on him, and the feelings had just developed as he had been working in such close contact with the man.

"Look, Rand," Cody sighed and momentarily Randy's joking mannerisms dropped when he sensed that Cody was being completely serious with him, "--you know as well as I do that the President is straight; he has a wife, remember? And, even if he was interested in men then I doubt he'd look twice at me." The snort Randy gave made several patrons look up in disgust... but the disgust quickly morphed into desire at the sight of the two attractive men talking in low tones together as they ate. "I wouldn't dare; so much would be at stake, and I don't want to risk my career before it's even gotten started..." Fuck, being blacklisted by the President would have him royally screwed for the rest of his life-- not just as long as Ted was in power. Randy let the subject drop, considering that Cody was getting just a touch _too_ touchy to be normal; privately though he was thinking the President would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to have a thing for Cody.

As usual when they had dinner, they took it in turns for who would pay -this time it was Randy- and then they made their way out to Randy's car. They had only had the one glass of wine throughout dinner, so both were perfectly capable of driving-- not that either of them would have risked it otherwise being that they had careers where they each did. Before too long Randy was dropping Cody off outside of his home. "I'll text you sometime tomorrow, Ok?" Cody asked as he got out of the expensive car, grinning to Randy, "Yeah-- make sure it's after lunch though; I have that big case tomorrow."  
"Oh yeah-- good luck."  
Randy winked, "I'm Randy Orton. I don't need luck." Cody chuckled and closed the door, waving his friend off.

He unlocked his front door, let himself in before locking up again. When he was inside the privacy of his own home he let himself fall into his previous thoughts. Was Randy right? Did he really have feelings like _that_ towards the President? Sure, he was attractive, and caring and conscientious and handsome and seemingly possessing a large cock, but-- _Oh. Shit._

He was _so_ screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

The following day at work, Cody went about business as usual. Drop this file off here, take this file over here. Stamp this paper and deliver it to the President for it to be signed. He stepped into Ted’s office, the words, “Good morning, T—” falling short when he noticed that Ted’s wife, Kristen, was in there, as well. “Good morning, Sir,” he started again, “and good morning to you, Mrs. DiBiase.”

“Good morning,” she said, giving Cody her hand to shake. “You must be one of the interns that started here with us two weeks ago.”

“Yeah… Yes, I am. Cody Runnels.”

“So this is the young man you’re always talking about,” Kristen said to her husband. “He says you’re an extremely hard working young man, and that you’ll be going places in your lifetime.”

Cody tried to hide his shock. Ted talked to his wife about him? No way. “Thank you,” he said, addressing them both.

“Well, I better leave you to your work then.” She headed around the desk, placing a quick kiss on Ted’s lips before heading out the door.

Ted leaned back in his chair, bringing his arms above his head, and Cody couldn’t help but wonder if his jacket and shirt had risen up enough to expose his stomach… No, no, don’t think about that, back to business. “This file needs to be signed, dated and stamped with your seal before it can be sent out. I’ve already stamped where I was told to,” he said, handing the folder over to Ted. 

Grabbing a pen from his desk, he signed the document before stamping it with the official Presidential seal. “Is that all you…” he began, but drifted off when he saw Cody pull a handkerchief out of his pocket. The gold stitching around the edges were exactly like… No, it couldn’t be. And then he saw the initials. TD. But, how? His mind flashed back many years right then, but Cody broke him out of it.

“Sir? Are you ok?”

“Where did you get that?” he asks, standing from his chair to walk around the front towards Cody.

"This? I've had it for ages. I don't even remember getting it, but my mum told me that we were at some political rally and I tripped and start crying, and then-" 

"Then I picked you up," Ted finished. 

Cody's eyes went wide, "That was you?"

A warm, bemused chuckle leaves the President and Cody found himself thinking that he wished he could hear that sound more often, "That was me." he nodded, recalling the incident with shockingly crystal clear clarity. Guess it was true what they said: it was a small world. Cornflower blue eyes flickered over the handsome man before him-- to think that adorable crying child would become such a dashing young man.

"I can't believe that little child was you," Ted said, shaking his head, grinning. 

"How did I never put two and two together," Cody mused, looking down at the handkerchief in his hands. "It even says TD on it, who else could it be? What are the chances?" 

"I don't know, Cody. One in a million, maybe… I also can't believe is how long you've held onto that old thing."

Giving a shy grin, Cody exposed an adorable little gap between his front teeth; that minor imperfection just making Cody all the more attractive in Ted's eyes. Just in a general well-rounded, clean cut looks sorta way. At least that's what he told himself at the time.

"Well, y'know..." Cody shrugged lightly and folded the handkerchief up with a subconscious tenderness that made Ted's chest tighten in an unfamiliar manner, "I may not remember the incident per se, but I remembered how much I appreciated the handkerchief and stranger's kindness." 

Only, he wasn't a stranger anymore, was he?

It didn't take him long to realize that the conversation had suddenly veered off into an intimate dirt road and he needed to reverse quickly. Before he wound up doing something not so intern-ly and placing something far heavier than a stack of papers on that big desk right there. Something about two hundred and twenty three pounds heavier....

All that talk with Randy about big feet and big cocks and then Mrs. DiBiase letting the cat of the bag like that.. Knowing Ted talked about him. Ted _thought_ about him. 

It was too much. Just as the room began to tilt itself to one side, Cody pulled on his suddenly tight collar and took a much needed gulp of air. "I better get back to work, Sir."

"Ted."

"Ted." He gave a quick nod and moved one foot to turn and walk away before a hand reached out and gripped him around the wrist, his hair practically on end from the shock. "Sir?"

"You don't have to go yet," Ted stated, the look on his face saying just how surprised he was at his own words, before lowering his voice to a dull murmur. " _Cody._ " 

It was hearing his given name spoken in such a tone that made Cody's feet remaining still as though they had been super-glued onto the expensive carpet. Absently, Cody found himself glowering down at them and thinking _traitors_. He wasn't strong enough to face this; he had found more and more recently that being alone with Ted put a strain on his ability to keep his mind (and hands, and anything else) from wandering, and to himself... And then Ted had to go and say his name like that...

Warm shivers ran down Cody's spine, like the playfully mischievous fingers of a lover. Like how he imagined the President's fingers would follow the curvature of his spine the way he swore the man's eyes did whenever he straightened up from being bent over if he was helping someone, or just quickly signing a paper or something.

Damn, was it hot in here or was it just him?

Swallowing hard (and didn't Ted almost moan aloud as Cody's tongue ran over his full bottom-lip in a subconscious gesture of nerves) Cody tried to force himself to speak words other than, 'Do you have any idea how much I want you right now? _Sir_.' Taking a slightly harsh breath -that seemed to echo in the otherwise silently charged atmosphere in the room- "S-T-Ted, I need to go back to work---"

Before he really registered his own intentions, Ted brought his free hand up and cupped one finely boned cheek. That small contact sent hot sparks over both of them, and at least one of them gasped audibly at the sheer connection between them. "Do I make you nervous Cody?" Cody swore his knees weakened at the thickened honey of his Southern accent.  
"N-No, sir."  
"What do I make you feel?"

Oh yeah, answering that question was sure as hell going to get him kicked out of here right on his fine ass. He had no idea what was going on between them right then, but somehow he didn't think, 'I think about taking you into my mouth whilst you're sitting in the high-backed leather chair in the middle of a meeting with some supposedly important dignitary,' or 'I think about you bending me over that desk and fucking me until my knees give out,' would go down very well.

"I-- Oh, _God_ \--!" the small whimper left him as he suddenly felt himself being pulled against the hard wall that was Ted's chest. Now, that was pretty safe... But the semi-erect groin that pressed into the President's stomach was probably not. "S-Sir, d-don't--" He would never live the reaction he was currently experiencing down. 

Cody may have been young but he wasn't stupid. And it wasn't just visible in his GPA, all of his scholarships, his degrees, it was so much more. He'd been brought up to be a gentleman, sure, but not a pushover or any sort of wishy-washy 'If I wish on this dandelion, my prince will come..' type.

In fact, he had more common sense than most, especially for someone so young. Which, being the realist that he was, was why he couldn't figure out why he was _still_ standing where he was. Not fighting out of a grip he was more than certain he could have gotten out of.

If he wanted to.

"Am I out of line?" he heard the President ask, in a voice that sounded nothing like that of the leader of the country, but one of just a guy, standing in a room with another guy, somewhat insecure. With eyes just as hopeful as the unspoken want in Cody's own mind...

Cody's heart thundered in his chest cavity so hard that it was almost painful, and even though he knew he should ask the President to back up, right then it seemed that all the walls that separated them socially had fallen down-- leaving them as man and man, not President and subordinate.

"N-No." he heard himself breathing, and Ted's hand (that had been resting on his cheek still) moved so that it rested on the back of Cody's neck; strong, capable fingers that Cody had often fantasised about caressing the fine dark hair there, and making Cody visibly shiver. "How about now?" Ted's voice was lower, huskier, but seemingly displaying the same nerves that Cody could feel fluttering in his stomach like so many butterflies. "N-No."

Slowly, Ted's hand moved down so that the flat palm was travelling over Cody's jacket-covered chest, resting over the beating heart Cody possessed. Ted was enthralled by how strong the tempo of the young man's heart was, and felt oddly empowered and thrilled that he could cause such a reaction-- not that he was completely in control here, because his heart was beating just as fast.

"How about now?"

They locked eyes with one another, Ted still holding Cody's wrist as though to keep him from running _(Oh Lord, as if he could)_ as the other continued resting on his chest. It was unspoken now, that unless Cody stopped him, Ted was going to keep going.

What was he doing, what the fuck was he doing?? And why couldn't he control himself? Suppress the urge...  
But he couldn't, as his hand trailed lower, he couldn't. Feeling the abs beneath the crisp shirt tense up, he couldn't. When his own ears heard a voice so unlike his own, but coming from his very lips say "And now?", he couldn't. When Cody gave a faint shake of his head, his teeth almost clattering, Ted just couldn't. Couldn't suppress it. Couldn't stop. Couldn't _not_ keep going...

It all happened so quickly, each centimeter lower that Ted's hand had no problem traveling down, but in that moment both would end up later recalling how it felt like slow-motion, an almost dizzying see-saw ride of a non-stop "Now?" and "No."

Cody could see the desperation on Ted's face, the sheer need to be near Cody, to touch him, to anything him, was almost suffocating the man. But between their heat charging the air, and the mutual agreement that neither was out of line, he could still sense the apprehension.

Squashing it down in one swift movement, Cody grabbed Ted's hand and shoved it farther down. Much farther. "Go on," he whispered, lips moist from the continuous wetting he'd given them.

It took Ted all of two seconds to give Cody a firm squeeze, feeling the throbbing beneath his fingers, his mind blocking out any warning voices or rational thinking. The boy in his hand let out a weak, low moan, from somewhere in the back of his throat and Ted knew, he _knew_ , it was all over from there. 

Those trousers of Cody's were in the way, and Ted was quite stunned to see just how much his hands were shaking with desperation as he moved them both to open the buckle and slide Cody's leather belt out of the loops enough to allow him access to the young interns throbbing shaft. Never before could Ted recall needing, wanting even the slightest intimate contact with someone so badly...

... He couldn't recall ever needing his own _wife_ this badly.

Cody's hands were grasping at his shoulders now and Ted felt slightly less vulnerable when he realized Cody was just as desperate and shaky as he was. Soon, Cody's fly was open, and Ted's hand was moving over a (oh, fuck!) smooth groin, and enveloping a solid, leaking cock so hard that Ted felt almost pale in comparison. Cody was long, and had a decent thickness; Ted guessed he was about an inch, two at most smaller, but he was a good deal thicker. Cody was perfect.

A slightly higher whimper left Cody, leaning back against the door slightly as his legs shook. Ted's free hand clicked the lock to the office in place-- the small 'click!' seemed to echo around the room, mingled with the sounds of passionate, laboured breathing. Ted's hand then planted firmly on the smooth wooden door, body essentially bent over Cody's. He knew that he shouldn't do this at all, let alone there in his office, but a deep, primal part of him _had_ to touch Cody like this, especially in the place that denoted him as the most powerful man in the country.

Cody was almost biting through his lip in desperation to keep his noises in. He had to be dreaming. He had to have fallen asleep at his desk or something, because there was _no way on God's green earth_ that he was standing here with the President's hand around his cock.

Suddenly, with no warning, the hand from around Cody’s cock was around his wrist, pulling him away from the door towards the desk. He gulped. Were they really about to? Ted kicked the leather rolling chair out of the way and pushed him into the desk. Cody’s hands gripped the edge of the desk as his pants were pulled down lower to reveal his ass to the President. 

“Oh, God,” Ted muttered, staring at the sight before him. That perfect ass was right there, waiting for him. Begging to be taken. “Now?” he asked, smoothing one hand over Cody’s ass. 

“Do it,” Cody moaned in reply. He needed this so badly. Needed to feel Ted inside him, to feel Ted’s weight over him, to feel Ted ravish his body. “Please. Do it now.” He didn’t care about things being slow and steady. Didn’t care about prep, or even precaution. He needed Ted inside him then and there. 

Spitting into his hand, Ted quickly rubbed it over himself, slicking himself up as best as he could. He lined him cock up with Cody’s hole, holding his cock steady in place as he began to ease his hips forward. 

Cody was fighting the urge to cry out in pain. He bit down on his lip _hard._ The next thing he knew, a hand was around the back of his neck his head was slammed down hard into the stack of papers. His cheek was pressing up against the paper he originally came in to have the President sign. 

“Oh, God,” Ted repeated, his dick inches into Cody’s body. The tight heat was nearly more than he could stand. Never had he felt anything so remarkable before in his life. He needed more. With one final thrust, he was seated all the way inside. Paradise was the only word he could think of to describe the feeling.

Every good intention he'd had when he ran for office initially was seemingly flying out the window. His promises of running the country to his best, giving the people fair rights, giving America a voice... everything, all of it, flying away before he could grab it.

With Cody prancing around him, he had hardly been able to tie his shoes in recent weeks, much less run a country as it should be done. And fair rights? How could he possibly stand for such a thing when he himself was feeling he had been granted nothing of the kind.... Fair? _Fair_? How was it fair that he finally was able to feel the spark of life he'd only dreamed of feeling with another person, once he was in a position where such a thing was not allowed. When he had lived half his life. When he'd spent that life already married to someone else....

And America having a voice? 'Well, so much for that,' he thought, looking down at Cody's bright blue eyes, seeing how much he was loving the President's hand clamped around his mouth..

He could hear the daily hustle and bustle going on outside the door, people walking by, brief words as they passed one another. Every single one of those people passing his office door, never knowing that just on the other side of a two inch thick slice of wood... 

Cody couldn't stand it anymore. The hand preventing him from making sound was thrilling him through the sheer dominance of the action-- Cody had never considered himself especially submissive before, but around Ted he wanted to. He was to submit completely...

... To surrender to the man whose eyes were burning just as desperately for him.

Feeling the slight motion of Cody's lips against his palm made Ted shiver as he read the desperate plea in the young man's eyes. Finally, he could hold back no longer; from then on there was no way he could go back. In the back of his mind the small voice was screaming that he was taking advantage of this boy, man, but his body, his _heart_ was refusing to let him stop.

The first stroke had Cody's body convulsing in a manner that made Ted consider that the boy would probably move in such a fashion were he had to be _inside_ of him, not just touching him. That thought, so wicked and so taboo, both in working terms and in personal terms considering he was a straight, married man (though at least one of those things had been debatable since Cody had walked into his life) spurred Ted into working his hand faster, grip tight, strokes rhythmic.

Suddenly, the hand around Cody's mouth became a very good idea-- Ted would never have pegged him for a screamer. 

Ted leaned forward, his front pressed to Cody’s back as his hips moved back and forth. His face was right next to Cody’s, eyes catching sight of his ear quickly before his teeth were nibbling at the lobe. Such sweet sounds Cody was making. And now, with their bodies flush together in such a manner, Ted could feel every twitch and writhe Cody was making. “Do you like that?” Ted growled, having no idea where this voice was coming from. He had never seen this side of himself before. 

“Mmmhmm,” Cody moaned, vibrations from the sound on his hand sending shivers up Ted’s spine. 

Gripping Cody’s hip with his free hand, Ted began to pound into Cody even harder, slamming Cody’s hips into the edge of his dark hard wood desk. 

With the hand around his mouth, Cody couldn’t say a word. He tried to, though. “Touch me,” he said, words muffling. “Touch me,” he repeated, the words still getting lost in Ted’s hand. 

Giving Cody a small grace period, Ted removed his hand and asked, “What do you want?”

“Touch me, please!” Cody cried before the hand was back in place around his mouth, once again preventing him from saying anything. 

Sliding his hand from hip to cock, Ted’s fingers griped around Cody, hand moving up and down in time with his fierce thrusts into Cody’s willing body. One thing Ted was always known for was his calm and controlled manner. Never one to lose his temper, or let any situation get out of hand. And right then he was fighting with himself, as he wanted to plead with the Gods in Heaven for this moment to never stop as he plunged his dick deeper into Cody with each thrust. 

He'd barely even had a chance to do more than give a couple of squeezes to Cody's cock when a loud couple of raps against his door caused them both to stiffen in fear. Cody sucked in a breath and Ted looked down at him, both wide eyed as they did their best to remain silent.

“Sir? You're needed in Conference Room C.”

What? Panicked, Ted immediately wondered why no one had bothered to page him about this. And that's when he glanced over to the phone at the far corner of his desk on the verge of toppling over the edge with one more good thrust, and the rapidly flashing green light of a silently ringing call.

“Ted?” Cody whispered, as quiet as he could, still turned on, _more_ turned on, feeling a drop of wetness leak out onto Ted's hand. The President's hand. Shit. This was the worst idea he'd ever unintentionally come up with.

“Mr. President? Everything okay in there?”

Cody gave a reflexive clench onto Ted's cock and felt nothing but pure evil when the older man had to bury his face in Cody's neck to muffle the groan. 

He didn't have long to savor the feeling before they both detected the unmistakable sound of the metal of the doorhandle being fiddled with momentarily followed by a key being worked to fit into the lock. Emergency keys. That's right. Fuck.

Sucking in a huge breath, Ted had no time to explain or give any insight with words, only able to flash a deeply apologetic look down at Cody before he pulled out of him with a wet sucking sound and promptly yanked Cody from his desk and shoved him underneath it, into the area where his desk chair normally sat.

Ted hastily ran to his personal bathroom on the other side of the room, ducking inside just as the door to his office flew open. He'd managed to tuck his shirt back into his pants and finger comb his hair as best as he could, making himself somewhat presentable before he re-emerged. The thickness against his thigh was just going to have to take its chances and hope to go by unnoticed.

“Yes?” Ted asked, straightening his tie for show and shooting the intruder as mild a look as he could manage, his mind still jumpy and his dick pretty peeved with the interruption.

“I'm sorry, Sir. The door was locked and when you didn't answer your calls or respond at the door, I thought you were in some kind of trouble and..”

Ted dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand, shooting the man hidden under his desk one last mournful look, knowing he had one hell of an apology of his own to make later, before shuffling out of the room, closing the door to his office behind him.

Underneath the table, and feeling the lowest of the low, Cody pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and fought tears. Lord, he didn’t know what was the most self-esteem crippling realisation for him: that he had actually succumbed and essentially had almost-sex (Randy had always said ‘No finish, no sex’) with a married man, or that said man had then shoved him underneath the desk like some… like he was some dirty little secret. A few tears trickled beneath the barriers he had thrown up to stop them.

Wasn’t that essentially what was going to come of this? Sleeping with a married man. Sleeping with the married President, his boss… Cody felt like he was going to be sick. But, don’t misunderstand it wasn’t Ted himself that he regretted almost giving himself to, it was the circumstances surrounding it. Ordinarily Cody would never have been so bold as to help himself to the President’s bathroom but at that point in time he thought that as things stood Ted wouldn’t mind the drop in protocol… he’d had his cock up his ass previously after all.

Cleaned up and calmed down as much as he could (his stomach was churning worse than his father’s fishing-boat on the time a storm had caught them out and they’d been thrown around the lake like clothes in a tumble-dryer) Cody then eased himself out of Ted’s office and made his way towards his desk. He kept his eyes down but used all of his will to keep his expression neutral and prayed that his eyes weren’t noticeably red or glassy. Nobody questioned why he had been in Ted’s office when said man wasn’t there since everyone already considered him Ted’s pet… he cringed at his own thoughts.

What had he done? What was he going to do? Already he knew that Ted wouldn’t fire him because, if anything, the man wouldn’t chance that Cody would go to the papers and expose what had happened. Not that Cody would do that –and there was a small part of him that prayed Ted truly understood that he wasn’t like that- but he had been told that when it came to the President, and those that dealt with him, image and reputation was everything.

The rest of his day passed in one long haze of paperwork that he signed on autopilot and couldn’t remember a word of, coffee that only seemed to increase his nerves, and twitchy fingers and a split lip where he had been chewing on the appendage so hard in his inner-turmoil. Packing his things away as soon as the clock showed it was time to go, Cody was all but sprinting out of the door. He hadn’t seen Ted for the remainder of the day since he’d been sequestered in meetings all day, and Cody sent a thanks to God for small mercies. Hitting the steps leading out of the White House, Cody’s finger hit the speed-dial button he wanted.

It seemed the other had finished it court because the phone had barely rung five times before Randy’s tone was sounding, clearly denoting he was on his hands-free as he used his business tone, driving since he never addressed Cody so cordially, in work or not. Hearing his best friend’s voice seemed to bring the tears he had suppressed earlier to a forefront and Cody used everything he had to lock it back since he was still in view of many people. Little did he know that as Randy’s car pulled up on the road outside of the White House main gates that the President would be one of those people who could see him.

Ted had been in an emotional and mental hell all throughout the day since he had left Cody in his office, only getting glimpses of the man as he had wandered to and fro from meetings for the rest of his day. Though he wanted desperately to talk to Cody, and knew also that he had to talk to Cody, to apologise for the horrendous way he had manhandled and treated him in panic, he wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t terrified. He’d seen Cody talking to John Cena outside of his window and moments later a sleek and expensive car pulled up, the top dropped and a handsome man inside.

Seeing Cody bidding goodbye to John to get into this car next to the tanned man in the shirt and tie, wearing designer shades, had Ted’s stomach dropping to his shoes. Who was that, and why was he picking Cody up? Not just anyone would have been let inside of the White House grounds, even if the man was only picking Cody up... Ted bit his lip to keep from calling out the open window as the car sped away.

Ted took several deep breaths, steeled himself and determinedly made his way towards John Cena’s post. He ignored everyone that was in his path, especially the interns who had stayed late that evening in an attempt to suck up to him. There was one intern on his mind at the moment… hell, there had been one intern on his mind since the day they began working for him. Now they had had sex, kind of, and _holy shit_ , he realized he hadn’t even used a condom. He froze for a brief moment at that, loosening his tie as it seemed to grow tighter around him. Had someone turned up the thermostat? Christ, he was a mess. 

He waved people off, muttering that he had somewhere to be. He then began again on his trek to John. “Mr. President, Sir,” John said when he noticed that Ted was headed in his direction. It was also hard to miss the fact that Ted looked rather harried, and Ted was always so put together. Something was wrong.

“A word with you Mr. Cena?” he asked. His tone was serious and urgent. He needed to speak with john right then. 

“In a minute, Sir, I need someone to come in as a temporary replacement,” John told him. He paged one of his fellow security guards, saying that he needed someone to immediately hold his position on the grounds. In a matter of minutes, another guard was in John’s place so John was free to follow the President inside. “Mr. President, was this about something I did?” he asked as he followed. 

Ted, however, didn’t reply. Not until they were both within his office. “The man who picked up Cody earlier. Did you allow him onto the grounds?” he asked without any preamble.

“I did, Sir, yes. Mr. Runnels informed me that a Mr. Orton would be picking him up, and I passed word along to the front gate security. Why, Sir, should he not be allowed on the grounds?”

“No, I was… was that all you and Cody were talking about?” he found himself questioning, even though it probably came off as strange for the President to be so concerned about the one intern in particular. 

~~~

As soon as Cody was in the front seat of Randy’s car, before he even buckled, Randy took off. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?” he asked, but Cody didn’t have time to reply before Randy was on his phone again, his tone going back to all business. Such was the life of a lawyer. 

Cody leaned into the comfortable leather upholstered back of the seat and placed his face in his hands. How had it come to this? He had the President of the United States’ cock up his ass. How was he ever going to face him the following day? Especially after how he’d been tossed aside so quickly like yesterday’s news. 

Randy was talking wildly with his hands, clearly annoyed with the person on the other end. “Yes, yes, tomorrow at eight, yes, I’ll see you then. Thank you. Goodbye, Sir. Yes, eight, I got it. Goodbye, Sir,” he said once more before hanging up so the other man couldn’t get another word in. “You really don’t look so good,” Randy said to Cody, glancing to his younger friend as he was stuck at a red light. 

“Thanks,” Cody muttered into his hands. 

“You sounded pretty upset on the phone,” Randy told him. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re gonna think that I’m the biggest fucking _idiot_ on the planet,” Cody said, but all his words were muffled thanks to his hands still being right in front of his mouth.

“What?” All Randy managed to hear was something akin to the teachers in the Peanuts cartoons. 

Moving his hands from his face, Cody turned his head towards the window, leaning against the cool glass, his cheeks and eyes red and puffy. “I said you’re gonna think that I’m the biggest fucking _idiot_ on the planet.”

“Hey, come on, I’m a lawyer. My clients and coworkers are far bigger idiots, I can promise you that,” Randy tried to joke, but even that didn’t seem to cheer Cody up at all.

“Yeah, for some reason I doubt that.”

“Promise.”

Cody took a deep swallow, peering out the window at the superficially cut lawns of the buildings and homes they passed. 'Welcome to Washington D.C., home of both the powerful and the weak,' he thought to himself, miserable down to the very marrow of him. "Really?" he asked, voice wavering, as he risked a skeptical look over at Randy.

Randy nodded, chiseled profile deep in concentration as he guided them through rush hour traffic. "Of course, Cody," his lips remained pressed tight, minus the tiniest twitch at the corners. "You know I _already_ think you're the biggest fucking idiot on the planet."

Cody didn't even have the heart to roll his eyes, just cast a pitiful glance to the floorboards. One not subtle enough for Randy to miss. "Alright fine, serious mode. Just for you. Go on and tell me what the problem is." When Cody stayed silent, only letting a woeful sigh past his lips, Randy lowered his sunglasses to the tip of his nose and shot him a stern look. "Really man, what's up your ass?"

At that, Cody's eyes widened and he wrung his hands together uncomfortably, before remembering himself and trying to look as casual as he could. "Did you really have to say that?" he mumbled, feeling twitchy and guilty and quickly adding a whole mess of other words to that list.

"What?"

"Nothing," Cody ducked his head, refusing to meet Randy's still pointed stare. "Eyes on the road."

Randy's eyes narrowed but he went back to gazing out the windshield, flicking the turn signal as he switched over to his right lane. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Cody still squirming like a nervous virgin and he mentally backpedalled, trying to pick apart what he'd said to have gained such a reaction and three seconds away from slamming into the car in front of them, Randy hit the brakes hard, mouth and eyes flying open at once.

"You didn't..."

Slamming his hands on the dashboard to regain his composure, Cody resituated himself in his seat, shooting his friend a meek glance, hoping any feathers in his mouth weren't trying to escape. He shrugged dejectedly, not really knowing what he could actually say that wouldn't be a lie. "What?" But it came out way too defensive.

"Cody, you did _not_." Randy couldn't stop staring for the life of him. What the fuck had Cody gone and done?

"You told me to!" Cody pointed out, trying in vain to ease the blame off his own shoulders. Fuck, it wasn't _his_ fault Ted -no, _not_ Ted, probably not ever anymore, the President - started feeling him up and....

Smacking the steering wheel hard, Randy looked at him with an expression Cody wasn't sure he'd ever actually seen before. For once. "God damn, dude, god fucking damn! I didn't think you'd actually do it! And I'm not even sure I actually meant it, shit."

"Oh my God," Cody whined, face buried in his hands now, even more ashamed. "But you said...”

"I know what the fuck I said, but you can't just take every little thing I say to heart and just, fuck man! Fucking fuck. You let the President make you his dick bitch as well as already being his payroll bitch!?" Randy was shaking his head so much, he resembled a Hawaiian bobblehead girl.

"Green light," Cody offered weakly, seeing the cars around them finally moving again, somehow feeling worse than he had when he left the office ten minutes ago.

Randy cursed and put his foot down to get his car moving again and squeezed the wheel reflexively a few times before looking to his friend again. Cody looked so dejected… and, were those _tears_ in his eyes? He almost slammed on again.

Though he was still undeniably in shock about what Cody had done he could sense that there was something that wasn’t wholly _right_ about the situation--- and he didn’t just mean because the President had pounded his best friend’s ass when he was married and a supposed paragon for a country that would probably never have put him in office if they knew he had any homosexual tendencies. Not that everyone in the country was homophobic but it was a sad fact of life that there were a lot of them. “Cody…” he glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye towards his companion, suddenly uneasy.

He couldn’t quite believe that he was about to ask this but he had seen the look in Cody’s face and could still see the puffiness and sheen of his eyes that told him he _needed_ to ask this for Cody’s own good. “Did he… _hurt_ you?” that was the main reason he could attribute to Cody being upset because right then it didn’t cross his mind that Cody was having one of his classic panic attacks over the consequences of his actions. The question made Cody’s head pop up to face him, and under other circumstances the wide-eyed look that he was being sent would have amused him greatly but as things stood he was more concerned than anything else for Cody’s wellbeing.

“No!” Cody said hastily, “No, no, he didn’t… didn’t hurt me…” well, not in the way that Randy seemed to be thinking. What hurt was the fact that he had been so carelessly thrown aside like that afterwards. Despite several attempts to engage Cody in conversation after that the younger man wasn’t responding with anything more than monosyllables--- and usually it was a task to get Cody to shut the hell up. Before too long they were pulling up outside of Cody’s place and Randy accepted the customary peck on his cheek that Cody always gave him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked the other carefully, not wanting to set Cody off. He would end up bullying him a little into fessing up if needs be though since it would not be good for someone like Cody to bottle this in. The sad smile that was leveled back to him only further fuelled the fire of Randy’s unease. “No… not right now, thanks.”

There was a little pause and then Cody was turning and heading indoors, leaving Randy seated in his car for several long moments and seemingly debating whether he should follow Cody anyway and ignore his friend’s initial wishes. In the end he decided that he would go back later in the evening and see how the other was doing; Cody would undoubtedly want some privacy for his initial freak-out, and that would come he knew it because he had seen it simmering in Cody’s eyes underneath the tears. Fuck, what had happened? He forced himself to pull away from Cody’s street and head home.

Inside of his place Cody closed the door firmly and then fell back against it, the tears he had been restraining all day finally coming in relentless waves. He’d always thought the sentiment of drowning in your own tears was silly, an exaggeration, but as he sank to the floor and cradled his head in his hands he found himself wondering whether he’d ever stop crying. Why? Why did this have to happen? He didn’t know how long he sat there, but even when he stood up and started going through his needed chores on auto-pilot, the tears were still coming.

He cried for some time, trying to keep moving to distract himself from the utter ache he had in his heart. It didn’t really help, though, because even as he washed the stack of dishes that really should have been washed a few days ago, all he could think about was that damn Ted DiBiase, Jr. How good it had felt when he was inside of him… and how _shitty_ it felt to be cast aside so easily. 

Maybe he should have had Randy stick around. At least that way he could have had a lap to cry on. Instead he was using his arms to wipe away the tears, ending up with dirty dishwater on his face and on the floor. So, it seemed like as good a time as any to wash the floor. Maybe _that_ would help get his mind off Ted. 

It didn’t. He swiveled his Swiffer around the linoleum floor, cleaning up the drips he’d spilled from the sink, but his mind kept working, kept going back to the afternoon. However, he had cried himself out… at least for the time being. He was sure that when he tried to sleep that night, he wouldn’t be able to because he’d be thinking about Ted. _Fucking Ted._

He never should have been allowed to call him that. Not even when it was only the two of them. It made them seem like they were close, closer than an intern and his boss, especially when said boss is the President, should be… maybe like they were even friends. But that wasn’t possible. He should have been allowed to call him Sir. Or Mr. President. Anything but _Ted_. That broke down the wall that should have been between them. Something as seemingly simple as a name… 

Maybe the living room area floor needed vacuuming? It still didn’t really help. Even over the noise of the vacuum, his mind didn’t stop. Ted was all he could think about as he ran over the same piece of string three times to try and get it sucked up. Ted was all he could think about as he ran the vacuum over some mysterious stain that he swore wasn’t there the last time he cleaned. Even as he put the vacuum away, Ted was all he could think about. “Shit,” he muttered to himself. How had he ever allowed himself to wind up in this position? 

What had he done _wrong_? Was he being punished for something? Made to feel his guilt, feel ashamed? For what, he didn’t know. But if it _was_ some kind of punishment from a higher power, it was working. 

~~~

Unable to pull forth many helpful answers out of John, at least none of the ones he was really wanting, Ted trudged back to his office feeling unnervingly low. He had poked around as much as he could without coming off as too invested in anything in particular, but soon it had become clear that John only wasn't giving him information purely because he didn't actually have any. All he could tell his boss was that the young intern seemed out of sorts and in more of a hurry to leave the premises than usual. Other than that, there was nothing awry.

Still though, as Ted slunk back into his plush chair, it didn't stop his mind from getting ahead of himself. Wondering just who that man was and the fact that his young intern even _had_ friends that good looking didn't sit well with him. It made him feel inferior. And then that inferiority made him feel juvenile. 

It wasn't as though Cody was _his_. Far from it. He hardly knew him as little more than his intern, let alone an actual person. The guy could have friends. Could have whoever he wanted as friends. Even if he chose to take up with the likes of GQ model types and rode off into the sunset with them like they were...

No.

Ted needed to squash those thoughts. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't. That hair prickling sensation at the back of his neck was merely caused by the cold of the AC in the building. That was all. Nothing more.

This whole entire thing had exploded in his face before he even realized he'd set the fuse. He woke up in the morning, brushed his teeth, fed his dog, then somehow a few hours down the day's road, he'd wound up with that boy sprawled across his desk and his own pants around his ankles.

He rubbed his temples, trying to shove away the flashbacks already pouring in. Thoughtfully, he ran his fingers over the wood of his desk, remembering the tight body trapped against in, pliant beneath him, the vibrating moans against the palm of his hand. He smiled in spite of himself, though rueful or wistful, he couldn't quite decide.

"Ted, dear?" His wife's voice snapped him out of his daydream, glancing up to find her in the doorway, looking at him expectantly. "Aren't you done for the day?"

He quickly nodded, unfolding himself out of the chair and rising to meet her, her hand already outstretched, palm up to meet his. He took her tiny hand in his and closed the door to his office behind them, not looking back into the room, or the desk, before he left. Making a point _not_ to. Though he wasn't entirely sure if that made him feel better or worse.

At home with his wife that evening, having dinner with her and just generally interacting with her, Ted had never felt so out of place in his life. It was as though he was living out someone else’s life and he was watching from the outside, noticing that Kristen seemed less than impressed with his distractedness and that his own face was impassive, as though he didn’t even realise she felt that way.

In the end they had gone to bed with Kristen in admittedly a bit of a huff and under other circumstances Ted would have been rather irritated with her mood but right then he knew he deserved for her to do _much_ worse to him considering that he had done to her. _God, how could he ever face himself in a mirror again?_

As his wife slumbered soundly next to him, clad in one of those baby-doll style night-gowns that she wore all the time regardless of whether she was intending to instigate lovemaking between them or not, Ted lay on his back and stared up at the dark ceiling. Was it really cheating if they hadn’t finished? He shushed that thought before he got too far with it because he already knew the answer.

What was Cody doing then? He wondered to himself and his subconscious seemed to be in collusions with his mind to throw out the worst possible images; Cody on his back, head thrown back and crying out in abandon as that GQ model-esque guy thrust into him over and over, or even Cody on top of that GQ wannabe and riding him without restraint… all in all sleep wasn’t easy in coming to Ted that night. And, it seemed that was apparent because Kristen was fussing over him all morning.

“I’m fine,” Ted insisted wearily for the hundredth time as he walked into his office, Kristen still clucking over him from behind. “I know you’re the President, but even Presidents get sick too!” Kristen protested, drawing the attention of the interns… bar one. Ted _knew_ that he shouldn’t have immediately sought out that desk beside his office but he couldn’t help it. Where was Cody? Granted the interns didn’t actually have to be in yet but they were all usually so punctual it was almost irritating, obviously trying to get more notice from him for being ‘hard working’.

Feeling even more dejected than before Ted entered his office and fought the urge to slump into his chair, Kristen pressing her hand to his forehead and cooing at him, only stopping (mercifully) when John Cena entered the room to see him.

“Ma’am,” John greeted, nodding cordially to Mrs. DiBiase. “May I have a word with your husband in private, please?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said. She never did enjoy when their talks turned into those of official White House business, anyway. She was somewhat involved in politics herself, like all first ladies, but never to the extent of her husband’s politicking. “You’ll let me know if you’re feeling any worse, dear?” she questioned before leaving. 

“Yes, yes,” he told her simply to appease her. If anything, he’d try and keep out of her way all day, maybe even stay in his office even later than normal to keep her off his back… though staying in his office would only bring back flashes of what he and Cody had done… “Now, Mr. Cena, you wanted a word?”

“Yes, Mr. President,” John replied. He would _always_ address him as such when he was on the clock, and often times found himself saying it even once he was punched out. “I was told to inform you that Mr. Runnels has called out sick today and won’t be coming in.”


End file.
